rim

Tech giants to talk patent reform at the U.N.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants are meeting in Switzerland today to discuss patent litigation reform, seeking to find ways to protect their intellectual property without hurting innovation.

The roundtable, hosted by the U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union in its Geneva headquarters, will cover topics such as "potential improvements to existing policy frameworks, entitlement to injunctive reliefs, and definitions of what constitutes a royalty base."

The group hopes to find out how standard essential patents can be enforced without hindering competition and how to make sure licenses can be offered at reasonable terms.

"We are … Read more

RIM's PlayBook tablet supply dwindles in U.S.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook is playing hard to get at several retailers.

The tablet either doesn't appear or is listed as out of stock among several major vendors, including Best Buy, Staples, RadioShack, OfficeMax, and Wal-Mart.

Amazon and OfficeDepot still have stock.

RIM's own online store lists the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB editions as available. But the "Where to buy" drop-down list on its retail page steers you to some of the vendors who are out of stock. The current lineup also is in short supply at retailers in RIM's home base of … Read more

No BlackBerry 10 phones until March 2013, says analyst

Research In Motion, the ailing smartphone maker with seemingly more lives than the average cat, may not dish out the new range of BlackBerry 10 devices until March, according to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek.

Writing in a research note seen by Forbes, Misek noted: "We had hoped for a January launch but now see a March launch as more likely."

RIM has previously said that the new range of BlackBerry 10 devices will arrive in the "first quarter," between January and March, after pushing back the scheduled date from later this year.

Speaking to CNET in … Read more

Pay $7 to promote your Facebook status?

Thursday's CNET Update never forgets a face:

Today's tech news roundup begins with a look at Facebook. The network is testing a feature that lets you pay to get your posts seen by more friends. Facebook first began testing this concept in May and it's already in 20 other countries. But it's rolling out to some U.S. users now, and the idea is to pay to show off big news or get more attention to an event. Facebook hasn't set an official price for this, but CNET staffers with the feature are asked to … Read more

Details for RIM's Blackberry 10 superphone surface

RIM needs a halo smartphone desperately to stem the tide of consumers drifting to Android and iOS. Apparently such a handset, the Aristo, is right around the corner. … Read more

RIM kicks BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 into the field

Blackberry PlayBook owners will see a small bump in features and capability with its next OS update to PlayBook software 2.1.

Among the changes available for the Wi-Fi tablet are security features that let owners lock down all data with enterprise-level encryption, not just corporate secrets.

RIM also shares a new version of the BlackBerry Bridge software that lets PlayBook owners access typical phone features; now when you pair a BlackBerry smartphone with a PlayBook tablet, you'll be able to send SMS texts from the PlayBook. You'll need to download the new Bridge app from BlackBerry App … Read more

Windows Phone challenging RIM for third place in Europe

Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system is gaining on Research In Motion, a new study says, but it still has a long way to go before catching Android and iOS.

Windows Phone is vying with RIM for third place in Europe as low-end devices -- like the Nokia 610 -- drive sales in key markets such as Italy and France, according to a global smartphone sales report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

But iOS and Android still make up the vast majority of sales in the region, sharing about 83 percent of the share in the big five European markets of … Read more

Leaked: Check out photos of RIM's BlackBerry 10 phones

Research In Motion may not be showing off its BlackBerry 10 phones anytime soon, but that doesn't mean photos of the devices won't leak out on their own.

Several renderings have popped up for the two phones, which include one full touch-screen device, and one with a Qwerty keyboard. CNET has seen the devices, and they match up with images posted on CrackBerry's Web site. CrackBerry pulled the images off a leaked marketing video, which has since been pulled.

The phones are the first products for the BlackBerry 10 platform and represent the company's best shot … Read more

BlackBerry 10: How RIM might reel you in. Really

When Research In Motion finally comes out with its first BlackBerry 10 phones, it will face the herculean task of convincing people they're actually worth a try.

Over the last few years, RIM has burned away a lot of goodwill, along with BlackBerry's standing as a pre-eminent smartphone brand, thanks to a near-comical succession of clunky product launches, delays, executive changes, and, at times, a frustrating refusal to acknowledge its own problems.

But with a new leadership team, RIM is hoping to bounce back with BlackBerry 10. The phones based on that operating system, however, won't be … Read more